According to a recent Gallup tracking poll, only 28% of Americans view the Republican party favorably. This is down 10 whole points from their score in September. This is also, incidentally, the lowest that either party's favorability has been since Gallup started asking the question in 1992.

The Democratic Party also has a public image problem — although not on the same elephantine scale as that of the Republican Party — with 43% viewing the Democratic Party favorably, down four percentage points from last month.

These findings come from a Gallup poll conducted Oct. 3-6 that followed the Oct. 1 partial government shutdown after lawmakers in Washington were unable to pass a spending plan for the federal government.

More than six in 10 Americans (62%) now view the GOP unfavorably, a record high. By comparison, nearly half of Americans (49%) view the Democratic Party unfavorably. Roughly one in four Americans see both parties unfavorably.

Let's all just enjoy that for a little bit, and then hope that the electorate can remember this come election time.